Free Condo
Yesterday I performed an inspection on a condominium in Rogers Park that was being offered to my client for FREE. I immediately thought the offer was too good to be true. Low and behold, I was absolutely right. The seller owned one of the three condominiums in the building. The person who owned the other Read More
Home Buyer Ju-Jitsu 101: Free Public Seminar
Tomacor is committed to educating the public about the myriad of issues which can arise when purchasing property. This education, in turn, empowers people to make educated decisions during the purchasing process. After 25 years in the industry, Tom Corbett has learned all that you need to know to get quality property at affordable prices. Read More
Buying New or Relatively New? Here is What to Look for Before Making an Offer.
Floors 1. Everyone knows that stainless steel appliances are state of the art in the construction and development industry. When shopping for a new home or condominium, look for stainless steel appliances. They paid more for them! 2. Don’t forget to bring a hard rubber hand ball or marble. Roll it along the floors in Read More
Ignorance Is No excuse For Blocking Common Area Inspections
Last week, I was involved in three condominium inspections where the real estate sales agent for the seller claimed that there was “No access to the common areas”. I have begun to think that this is the name of one of the more popular continuing educational courses offered to real estate agents. Many of the Read More
Signs You Should Buy a Property
Because of all of the problems and deficiencies discovered over the years, Tomacor inspectors are excited when they come across quality construction detailing. Here are some things we like to see that can help a buyer determine whether or not the property is in good condition and has been properly maintained: 1. Concrete: Recently finished Read More
Make Your Real Estate Agent Work For You!!
After 11,000 home inspections, its not unusual for me to over hear the agents discussing how quick the deal went “All I had to do was answer the phone and show them a couple of properties” is a common comment which often times nets the agents $30,000-$40,000. The smart buyer makes their agents get any Read More
Where Should The Home Buyer Place Their Trust?!?
Tomacor completed an inspection last week for a client who was steered away from our service eight years ago by her agent. She ended up purchasing a home full of termites and plumbing problems. It was nothing $20,000-$30,000 couldn’t fix!. As past chairman of the Committee for Ethical Practices and Procedures of the American Society Read More
Is Your Inspector a “Butt-Kicker”?
Do you know anyone that was kicked out of their real estate deal at the last minute even though they had a signed sales contract and a committed seller? Well there is clear insider information about why this happens which may be a bit different than what interested parties have tried to convince you occurred. Read More
Fly On The Wall: Line Up Behind Multiple Offers
Legally, the broker you hire to sell your home is obliged to tell you about all offers that come in. Tomacor actually found a reference to this while training potential home inspectors in the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5). If your agent doesn’t present every offer to you, it is a violation of Read More
Surviving A Chicago Winter
Christmas has come and gone and there are only 90 plus warming days until the springtime warmth and festivities that we are all eagerly awaiting. In the mean time, let’s be safe and stay warm despite the low temperatures. In our continued efforts to relate building science to anatomy and physiology, we offer the following Read More
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